When Wounds Don't Heal
by moonlightmaiden15
Summary: The Navis are humans who go to Hero Academy: school for superheros-in-training. When Rockman's sister transfers into his class old wounds open for both of them. Can they pull it together to save the world from the same evil their brothers died to stop? T.
1. My Sister is the Transfer Student?

My Sister is the Transfer Student?

"Settle down kids!" Faren-sensei called for attention. All the students Immediatly grew quiet. They had all heard the news, a transfer student, in _this_ class? It was so rare that noone wanted to miss it. Not even the delinquent in the back. "As I'm sure you all know, we have a new transfer student, and some of you, okay _all_ of you are anxious to meet her. I want to go over the attendance before they come in, so that I won't get reprimanded. Not to mention she's running a little late." This was followed by a bunch of groans and idle chatter amongst freinds. All the students wore one of the three school uniforms, in various colors. The uniforms represented what afterschool program you were in, and only the lower level classes, F, D, and common class, wore the traditional school uniforms that Japan was famous for. This was Heroics class, where the best of the best from any age group learned what the school, Hero Academy, was really for. The three afterschool programs were Hero, Medic, Engineer/Info. Each program had factions in it that worked together to reach the goal of each program, and in the factions were clubs, then battalions, then squads.

"Hey, Rock," Roll, a Hero-program student with waist-length blond hair tied in a green bow near the bottom said. Her uniform was pink and black with her personal emblem on her chest in the middle, it was a red sircle with a yellow triangle point-down on the highest part of the circle, so that it would look like a heart if it had a point at the bottom, witch it did, below the raised circle. "Isn't your sister transfering to a new school today too?"

"Yeah. So?" Rockman, another Hero-program student who's uniform was blue, in various shades, and had his personal symbol on his chest as well.(notice a pattern yet?) His emblem was a red circle with two black triangles, points inward, and a line connecting them so that it would make a diagonal line from the bottom left to the upper right.

"So, wouldn't it be an awesome coincidence if the transfer student was your sister?" She conntinued, giggling now from excitement. She and Rockman were childhood freinds and she therefore knew his sister fairly well. She also knew that his sister had no emblem of her own.

"No way. You know she's not the type who would-" He was cut of by the teacher clearing her throat.

"Before I let her in, and she is on campus now," This time there were a bunch of cheers at her statement, "I would like to tell you a little about her. She lives alone with her adoptive brother, and is quite a genius. She is allowed to cut classes at any time with the exeption of Homeroom, P.E., and Heroics classes. She has a PhD in..."

Rockman had been growing paler and paler as Faren-sensei spoke, because she was describing _his_ sister! There was no way, he had thought, and now here it was, there was only one person in the entire world with that many PhD's...HIS sister! And at that moment she burst through the door.

"S-sorry for being late!" She managed to pant out as she ran into the room. She wore a Hero-program uniform, sort of. She had on a dark-blue jumpsuit, and light blue boots, that much was true. But she had things on _over_ the jumpsuit. She had a light blue mid-thigh length skirt on, a light blue T-shirt that covered her upper torso, and a dark-blue mini-cape that covered her chest and shoulders. She also had a light-blue scarf on that was tied in the back and fell down in two tail like ribbons that fell to her ankles. Her ankle-length light-blue hair was tied back at her shoulder blades by a blue ribbon that was tied in a bow and fell to her waist. Her bangs were long enough to cover her eyes if she tilted her head down, and she had an american style blue bookbag slung across her shoulder. She also wore her infinity-pocket belt, which was a little big for her, on her waist like a fashion accesory. Everyone was staring at her. "I got lost on the way here."

Finally eveyone started to laugh at her. Exept Rockman, Roll, Faren-sensei, and four others. In fact, Faren Sensei was angry enough at them to say "Shut up already!" Followed by swift compliance. "Everyone, this is Hikari Saphire, Hikari Rockman's little sister."

"And if she get's any greif from you guys you will answere to me!" He told them. Needless to say that got them scared.

"Sit behind Forte, the guy in the back, untill I figure out where the best place for you to sit is." Sensei said.

"Very well, sensei." She walked over to her new seat, bowing and saying a polite and quiet "Hello" to Forte before taking her seat. And proceding to stare out the window and doodle in a sketchpad she took out of her bookbag.

When class was over they had ten minutes to talk, and for some reason a group of guys were all acting like complete idiots and trying to get her to pay attention to them. They called themselves the "Astekus Saphire guard." or something similar. And they would not leave her alone. In fact, it was as though they all had one mind. "Can I help you with your homework?" "Can I get you a glass of water?" "Can I escort you somewhere?" "Can I..." She was as polite as could be while refusing someone, but her patience was wearing thin.

"Rrrrrr..." Forte, who also wore the Hero uniform, his was black and his emblem was a black circle with a white slash through it in the same direction as Rockman's, was fed up with it. "She keeps telling you no, why don't you take the hint and GET LOST ALREADY!" they ran, fast. For engineers, anyway.

Saphire was releived that they had left and whispered, for her, a quiet "Thanks," which, given that her voice is normally quiet, was pretty darn quiet. Only to find that another headache was headed her way, in the form of her brother.

"Why?" He nearly shouted. "Why did you transfer?"

"Because of travel problems, you know that." She answered timidly.

"Okay, let me refrase that. Why did you transfer _here_ of all places!" Forte raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't get involved.

"I was invited?" She spoke even quieter, if that's possible. Her brother's voice had gone from outraged to cold and detached. Which ususally ment he was close to losing it. Unfortunatly.

"By who?" He continued to ask.

"S-someone who E-mailed me...I-i don't know who..." She flinched when he turned away, feeling thuroughly sorry for anyone who annoyed him now.

"What was that about?" Forte asked, for once interested in someone else's buisness.

"Nothing. Just some things in our past that are better forgotten... If you want to know, ask him, but wait for him to calm down first..." This was as close as she could get to talking about it... And the reason why she didn't like talking to people all that much.

"Why should I wait for him to calm down?" He could take Rockman, couldn't he.

"You've obviously never seen him fight mad before, or you would not have asked that question." Was all she said in reply. But it was all that she needed to say to get her point across.

"Oh...Point taken."


	2. Mealtime Memories

Hello...uh...This is embarrassing. I forgot to put down the disclaimer on the first chapter of this story. Well, here it is. I, moonlightmaiden15, do not own Rockman, Netto, Blues, Roll, Forte, or any characters found in the Megaman NT series. I _do_ own Alicia, Saphire, Ruby, Hero Academy, and any other original characters unless they are supplied by other people. I also own the plot and the idea for this FanFic.

Forte: Well that's obvious.

Mealtime Memories

Time passed in this mannor untill lunch. Lunch marked the end of general classes and the start of Heroics classes, when the students started learning how to control their various poweres. Eveyone split up into groups for the fourty-minute lunch perioud. Rockman, Roll, and one other person in red ate lunch together. Saphire assumed this person in a purple and black jumpsuit and red boots must have been Blues, Rockman's freind and rival. Forte and his sister, a girl in a purple jumpsuit, skirt, and boots by the name of Alicia ate lunch together. She was more than beggining to feel like a third wheel in this class, so she decided to go to the roof instead of staying in the room alone and sticking out like a sore thumb. After she said goodbye to Forte, his sister, and her brother she left the room.

As she sat on the roof by the rail, she stared out at the sky, looking for clouds and thinking about...things. Well, one thing in particular. She had grabbed her sketchpad and it lay next to her unopened lunch at her side, pages flipping in a breif gust of wind. Slowly she opened her lunch and began to think about why she had felt like making one of her brothers' favorite meals that morning. Something she hadn't done in five years. Not since that day...

"Your names Saphire, right?" A voice she recognized snapped her out of the like a shot from a gun. Her face shot up to look at who had spoken to her, only to find that it was Forte, the man who sat in front of her. He was looking at her strangely, as though looking for a weakness. That's when it hit her, he was her brother's other rival, known as the king of the dual swords. "Why aren't you inside?"

"No reason, I just felt like eating outside is all..." She said as quietly as ever, but there was a contemplative tone to it this time. Forte noticed this and decided not to press into it. Instead he sat down near her, so that he could look at her face as he talked to her.

"You mind if I keep you company?" He said in a bored tone, but it seemed to say "Why aren't you with your brother?" instead. She almost answered his unspoken question untill she realized that would be presumptuous of her.

"No, go right ahead." She went back to looking at the sky, and Forte got a glimpse of sadness inher crystal-blue eyes before it was covered up again. "I was just thinking about some things..."

"About what?" He asked and was immedietly sorry when she visibly flinched at the question. Obviously it was a private matter and none of his buisness. Silently he cursed his inability to read peoples moods. And he asked himself why he bothered to talk to his one and only rival's little sister. Aloud he said, "You don't have to answere that question if you don't want to, you know."

She nodded, "I know." She used her chopsticks to take a bite, and as she chewed she thought about how much she should tell him. How much she could, without bursting into tears. Finally she decided to say as much as she could and not worry about the consequences untill later. "Do you know what I'm eating? It's curry. My brother's favorite meal."

"I thought Rockman was a vegitarian." Was all Forte said. He knew this must have been hard for her to say, but was honestly confused. Saphire noticed this and spoke once more.

"No, he just likes salads. And I wasn't talking about Rock-niisan." she clarified. "I was talking about his twin Netto."

"I didn't know he had a twin." He silently thought about what kind of person Rockman's twin must have been like, and inwardly shuddered.

"He doesn't...not anymore." She said.

"Oh...I-i'm so sorry..." He finally got her point. The look of sadness had returned to her eyes. And her body language screamed of anguish. Her head was bowed and she was staring at her lunch again. She took another few bites and seemed to collect herself as she did. Once she had finished he decided to risk re-opening the wound in the hopes of more information. "H-how did it happen."

"He and another brother of ours, Ruby, went to this school. They were the best of the best of the best. The top two students." She looked at the sky again. This time searching for the right words. Forte let her collect her thoughts. When she spoke agian her voice was broken and cracked, she was barely holding back tears. "They were sent to stop a group of villans, but when they went, they went missing." She started to whimper. One deep breath later she showed some semblance of control...albeit shaky. "They found Netto's body in an alley. They never...never..."

"I-i get the idea, you don't have to continue." Forte left her to her thoughts.

"Netto...Ruby-niisan..." She whispered when she had herself under control once more. A memory started to take form.

_"Hey, Saphire..." A boy who looks like Rockman says. He is wearing a white long-sleved shirt with an orange vest on over it. His shorts were black with yellow stripes along the sides going down, he also had on a blue bandanna with Rockman's emblem on it that kept his brown hair out of his equally brown eyes. "Do you know how to make curry?"_

_"Curry? Yes, why?" She had asked the day before he left for his mission with Ruby. He started to jump up and down with excitement. They were in a kitchen, it was as close to spotless as could be when someone was preparing a going away feast. At that moment Rockman walked in. He was waring a white shirt and pants. His socks were pale-blue, as close as he would get to wearing white socks. They were celebrating, after all._

_"Probably becaouse he wants curry for dinner, right bro?" Rockman, or Rock as his freinds and family called him, said light-heartedly._

_Saphire laughed. "Oh, is that all? I'm a little disappointed in you, Netto!"_

_"I must admit that she's right, I expected a much better alterior motive from you." Ruby walked in as well, he was wearing a red buisness suit, his red hair was neat and orderly, just like Ruby himself. But his blood-red eyes shone with mirth. "Next time hide it better at least."_

_"Next time, but for now, it's time to eat!" Netto replied. He was already drooling, and it was so comisal that eveyone laughed at the spectacle._

_"How you ever got to be the top student at Hero Academy I'll never know, Netto-kun." Rockman teased his brother._

_"HEY! I can be a good student when I want to!"_

_"Hahaha, Alright everyone, I've got a lot of things to do before dinner if we're gonna have my world-famous Curry Surprise, so eveyone out of the kitchen!" Saphire told them after the laughter died down._

_At dinner everyone started to eat. Saphire decided a little conversation was needed. Needless to say at this point in time she was happy and her voice was rather loud and commanding. "So, Netto, Ruby-niisan, if you succeed you'll graduate from Hero Academy early, right?"_

_"Yes, that's right." Ruby told her. Netto was too busy eating to hear her. "Why?"_

_"Oh, nothing. Just thought we ought to add a little something special to your last night as students!" She said while revealing a cake as high as the table from somewhere. "Congratulations!"_

_"But we might not succeed." He pointed out._

_"You will! I beleive in you!" she told him confidently._

When the bell rang to tell everyone that class was starting and she was jerked from the past, she found that she had been crying.

Wasn't too bad... It took me less than an hour to write that, and about 12 hours to get inspired for it. I _never_ plan my FanFic's beforehand soo... I need to know where I need to improve on people! Oh, and before I forget, thanks to LatinoHeartBam for favoriting my story and thanks to Azure-Link for reviewing!


	3. Seal

I hope this tides you over while I go back to trying to figure out how to do the actual classes... Ideas are welcome. I need help here...

Seal

She arrived in class a little late...But that was okay with her. At least she wasn't as late as she had been that morning. Secretly she cursed herself for always being just a bit late in anything she did. After all, if she had been just a bit faster she might have been able to...she was jarred out of her thoughts by the call of another person she knew. It was Rock and her's apertment building's landlord, Colonel. Saphire had heard he was an afternoon only teacher at some sort of academy, but never thought it was _this_ academy...

"Everyone in their seats. I assume that this is the new girl." He began to speak. He was wearing what looked like a trenchcoat, black gloves and large boots. Colonel also wore a blue cape, shile the rast of his clothes were black. His spiky hair was combed back, in a way that suggested he wore a helmet of some kind often. Blue eyes took a quick survey of the room, taking everything in. "Does everyone who was hear last time have their gear?"

"YES COLONEL-SENSEI SIR!" They all, even Rock, shouted as though they were military students. Saphire realized immediatly that she wasn't going to be his favorite student in the class. In fact, she highly doubted he would like her at all, given how quiet her voice was. Colonel nodded and told them to gear up and go to the training room while he spoke to, "the new girl," as he put it.

She got up, walked up to him, soluted, as that was probably what he wanted her to do, and then bowed. "H-hello. My name is Hikari Saphire...Pleased to meet you." She waited for him to do something other than scrutinize her.

"Do you know how to fight?" He asked all of a sudden. When Saphire heard that her hand went straight to her infinity-pocket belt before she cought herself. Colonel noted this and waited calmly for her answere.

"I..." She groped for the right words after a shocked pause. "...can fight a little. Yes. But not much, I haven't even held a sword, my perfered weapon, in five years... so I don't know how good I still am..."

"As I thought." He said in relation to this statement. Colonel...-sensei, Saphire reminded herself, seemed to be in deep thought. Finally after a few minutes he spoke once more. "I can arrange for an at-home tutor, if you prefer. Perhaps your brother?"

"No," she spoke quickly, too quickly. Colonel again noted this. Saphire spoke, again too quickly, in order to explain her ansawere. "My brother would honestly prefer it if I didn't even go to this school, I don't think he would appreciated teaching me how to use a sword again, especially when he wasn't the one who tought me in the first place."

"Hmm..." Colonel-sensei was once again in deep thought. He was mulling over a certain prospect, but there was a problem with it. She was probably still good with a sword, but the peson he wanted to teach her was unmatched... Colonel finally remembered where he was after a few minutes, and spoke to the girl once again. "GO join the rest of the class, you can watch for today, but tomorrow I want you to bring some armor that will fit you. I'm certain you have some lying around _somewhere_ in case of emergencies. That will do untill your new armor is ready."

"Yes sir!" She said and soluted before she left the room. Waiting outside was her brother in full battle regalia. He had on his uniform, a pair of blue gloves, and a blue helmet that had two yellow ractangles running down the middle so that it looked like an exclamation mark from the front. Rockman indicated that she was to follow him.

"So, what did he want to talk about." Rock started to talk to her about halfway to the training room.

"He just wanted to ask me if I could fight, Rock-niisan." She told him truthfully, her quiet voice echoing in the empty hall.

"And did you tell him?"

"About that? No." She said, understanding what her brother was saying without actual verbal or visuall comunication. "I only told him I could hold a sword and fight fairly well. I'm not a fool. That was sealed away long ago, so it's not like it's relivent now, anyway."

"True. You never were one to say something unnecessary." He began to think back to when they had decided to seal away the bulk of her...abilities...

_"Your poweres are just too unpridictable, Saphire." Ruby told her. They were standing in the middle of the park, it was a new moon, so she was supposedly unable to resist what was about to happen._

_"But you said that if my power was sealed away, then I could never chose an emblem and become a hero like the rest of you guys..." she began to say. Rock had felt sorry for her, but didn't interfere. It had been his idea in the first place. If Saphire were to lose control at any time, especially the full moon, it could be disasterous. So he let his brother do it. They told her that they were sealing all of her abiliteis, and indeed they had meant to._

_A half hour passed during which they performed the ritual, sealing her power once and for all. There was only one way to release her power, she had to find a partner who would understand her pain, and who would not judge her for what she had done, or had not done, in the past. She had to become partners with someone who would accept her completely. Easier said than done, as she had gone on a rampage that very day..._

_"It's done." Netto had told her when she woke up. "I'm sorry sis, but this was the only way. You don't want to know what they would have had us do otherwise..."_

_"I-I understand." she calmly said. This was the first time she had sounded so defeated in front of them, but it would not be the last. Rockman could still sense her immense power, but it was no longer wild. It was a caged beast now, no longer able to hurt anyone. He gave her a blue ribbon, the symbol of the seal. When she tied it into her hair, it fell to her waist, and no matter how tall she became, this would always be the case._

"Rock-niisan?" Saphire called, breaking him out of his revire.

"Yes?" He nearly yelled at her. She should not be at this school. Not with her past. It was for the best that she no longer be able to use her full power. She ought not have tried to change that, and here she was doing just that. "What is it _now_?"

"I think we're here." She said, pointing at the door in front of them.

"That's just the door to the training wing, we're nowere near the training room." He snorted, contempt was evident in his voice.

"Then why did you stop?" A simple question, but not one Rockman wanted to answere.

"None of your buisness." He snapped. then opened the door. He also noticed a breif bristle in her power, then a sharp drop, as though in defeat.

"S-sorry. I didn't mean to bother you." She flinched at his reaction. He was still mad at her for what she had done... But didn't he know that she was sorry enough as it was without him making her feel guilty wheneve he could. No, of course he didn't. She was careful to hide it from him, so that he wouldn't worry about her, so how could he? "L-let's just move on."

"Right." He walked on, setting a crisp pace. He was trying to outpace her, but he was also trying to leave behind the memories of his past. A past best forgotten.

Saphire walked behind him, keeping up almost effortlessly. In fact, she was catching up to him rather quickly. She had noticed this a few days ago and wondered what it meant. Now she knew, not that it changed anything between her and her brother. He still hated her for what she had done. As they came up to a dojo door, she noticed him putting up his usual mask, the happy-go-lucky hero. She took the hint and put on as convincing a fake smile as she could. Which was pretty darn convincing, she'd had a lot of practice.

He prepared to open the door, but first warned his sister. "Not a word. Got it?"

She nodded, then whispered a few words to herself, in a language she rarely used. "Rock-niisan, antatawa watashiga dikirideska?" Which translated to, "Rock-niisan, do you hate me?" But she already knew the answere.

Yes.

Thanks to Azure_Link again for reviewing, and to LatinoHeatBam for reviewing as well. At least _someone_ thinks it's good...I sure don't... Please read and review so that I can get better at writing! Please?


	4. Hero Class

I own none of the content in this story which is not original, which means I don't own the characters, except my OCs, or their attacks.

Hero Class

Her brother opened the door into a room that was obviously bigger on the inside than the outside. She gasped as she saw what was going on in the inside of that room. It was filled with people of any age and size fighting, and rather skillfully. She couldn't ever hope to keep up with some of them, while others she could outpace easily, but she could never hope to survive even one punch. Weapons of any and every kind were seen in the room, used with varying levels of skill. None of them were as good as she used to be with her cyber-katana, though.

"It's amazing! Why didn't you tell me they found out they could use my infinitytech like this?" She asked her brother, and before he could answer, not that he was going to, she spoke once again. "And all these people fighting to protect others...I never dreamed such a place could exist! Oh, how I've dreamed of this day! To finally leave behind my past and start anew!" She then began to look for a relatively safe place where she could watch the sparring without fear of a stray shot.

She chose to sit in a meadow, yes, a meadow, of flowers near the back of the pocket dimension. It was full of white daisys and a few other flowers, the effect was quite pleasing to the eye. Saphire sat in the middle of that meadow, and rather than ruining the picture, she seemed to enhance it. It almost looked like a painter did it on purpose, a beautiful and content girl in blue in a meadow of flowers, but one also got the feeling that the girl was lonely. And she certainly was. She sat there just looking for a while, untill she caught sight of Forte.

He was surrounded by ten of the best Hero-graduates. They were all attacking him at once, and not one was even close to scratching him. Not even when they worked together, although they did get slightly closer to his body. It was like a movie, one hero standing against impossible odds, dual swords in hand, to stem the tide of evil. Forte was that impressive. _Alone...always alone_. He finally threw them down to the ground, unconsious. That's when he cought sight of Saphire. For the breifest of seconds their eyes met, one blue, the other ruby. Both lonely. Then he was cought up in the next tide of challengers.

Alicia, his sister, noticed this just before her oppnent made a sweep for her abdomen. She dodged to the side, then kicked him in the groin, not very eloquent, but effective nonetheless. She continued to beat the man to a pulp without a single weapon in hand. She prefered her hands to rough swords, the exception being a katana or long daggers. She was just as deadly without them, though. Capable of felling a man with one hit to a pressure point, she preferred to take her time and enjoy the look of fear on a villan's, or pervert's, face. Same difference to her. This time she quickly felled her foe, deciding instead to talk to the girl that had somehow earned her brother's fascination.

"Hello, my name is EXE Alicia!" She called to Saphire walking up and ruining the picture-perfect scene. Much to Saphire's delight. She extended her hand to the sitting girl. "Your's is Hikari Saphire, right?"

"Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you." Saphire took the hand, getting a good look at the other girl. Violet hair, just like her brothers, was in a ponytail that fell to her mid-back. She wore purple boots and gloves, a dark-purple jumpsuit, her symbol was a dark shuriken on a purple background, and she had red eyes._ Just like Forte's... Well, less calculating, perhapse._ Saphire thought. "Why are you talking to me? Shouldn't you be sparring?"

"Oh, that. Well, I already beat my oponent and left him at the medic's practice area. Good handywork, too. If I do say so myself." She said it so nonshalontly that Saphire started to smile. The first genuine smile in a long time. It was closed, but not like it was forced. It kind of looked like the smile of someone starting to see sunlight after a long time in the dark.

"What did he do?" She asked, still smiling.

"He tried to flip my skirt yesterday, before school." Alicia stated it as though it were a fact. Not revealing that it was actually to see what kind of girl this Saphire was.

"Ah. I would have loved to see you beat him up. Too bad I missed it..." She liked this Alicia girl...Nice, but tough. She was a lot like Saphire herself used to be, before the incident.

"I'll let you take a few swings next time, how's that?"

"That sounds like fun, but I'm afraid I'm a little rusty."

"No problem. I'm sure the Colonel's gonna give you an at home tutor till your up to par. Any prefrences?"

"Not really. I kinda don't know anyone who can use a sword decently that my brother would let in the house."

"I see. And you do whatever your brother tells you, no questions asked?" Alicia was fishing for answeres. _Why doesn't Rockman want her to learn how to fight? Why does she hide her pain whenever he's around? And, most important of all, why does my brother care what happens to her?_

"Yeah, right. Like any self-respecting person would do that." Saphire was well aware that Alicia was at least curious about her relationship with Rockman, but she wouldn't get any spesifics from Saphire.

"True. Well, in that case I have a suggestion I want to give Colonel-sensei. Why don't you eat lunch with me tomorrow?" She asked as she got up to leave. "Class is almost over, see you tomorrow!"

"Sure..." Saphire got up as well, and set to looking for her brother. While so doing, she locked eyes with Forte again. This time she looked away, but not before he saw a blush on her cheeks...

_What the...?_ Was all he had time to think before he was bombarded once again by his... challengers. As he fought them off, yet again, the full implications of what he saw hit him. Before he knew it he was emulating the typical teenage male and thinking, _SWEET! She digs me!_ And got bombarded for the 60th time that day.

Roll had been fighting Rockman, much to her delight and his dismay. He liked her to much to beat her to a bloody pulp in frustration, or anger. He didn't know which. She was just practicing her dodging when Alicia walked up and asked Rockman if she could speak to Roll for a minute.

"Sure..." He said after a moments thought. Mostly spent on wondering how mad her brother would be if he found out he had beaten her to a bloody pulp, and at who the anger would be directed.

"THANKS!" Alicia shouted, a little too loud. The signal to her brother for "He's thinkin about murder again..." And Rock knew it too. That was one of Alicia's poweres. she could tell what people were thinking about doing before they did it. Came in hand on investigations, and at a school like this one, it came in handy for daily life too.

"What did you want to talk about, Alicia-chan?" Roll asked once they were far enough away. "It can't have been some idle gossip if you dragged me all the way over here." They were between Rock and Forte, far enough away that they wouldn't be overheard, but close enough that Forte or Rock could get there fast if things took a turn for the worst. Always a possibility at Hero Academy. Alicia thought things over and took a deep breath.

"You know the new girl? Rock's little sister?" Alicia began. "Well, you'll never beleive what just happened between her and my brother."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" Roll said incrudiously.

"Probably not. But it _is_ the most romantic thing I've ever seen!" Alicia was starting to get excited, a little _too_ excited. "She locked eyes with him. AND he didn't look away!"

"Hold on. Are you sure it was romantic, or was it just them seeing each other at random?"

"She looked like a princess and he looked like a hero! It has to be fate! Not to mention he's actually interested in her!"

"Really? This is wonderful!" Roll was getting into it as well. "What should we do? We can't tell Rock. Not right now."

"It _has_ to be fate. We'll just... help things along." Alicia said a little too calmly. "And that was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about, whyt does Rock not act like her brother. He acts like he.."

"Hates her?" Roll finished. "He does, sort of. They have a..." She groped for the right words to describe it. "...complicated relationship."

"Complicated how?"

"He treats her like she shouldent exist, but he doesn't want her to get hurt. She should resent him for treating her like that, but she doesn't. She never once tried to kill him, though she could have. And, although he thinks he hates her, he really just doesn't want her to get hurt. Not that way ever again. You and her were once a lot alike, a long time ago."

"Wow..." she was starting to get hte idea, but still. Something felt a little off about the whole explanation... She got the feeling that there was more to the story.

"And that's just the tip of the icebirg. She was nce brave, is now a scardy cat. Speaking of which, she loves cats, but is afraid to go near them because of a past event. One that left many gaping wounds that have not healed to this day. for either of them."

"We should move on to a different topic for now. So, wanna hear my idea?"

"Sure."

"What if we..." She began to tell Roll of a plan that started with Forte teaching her how to use a sword right, and ended with a first date. Or a first kiss, whichever came first.

"Will it work?" Roll asked.

"OF course it will work."

"Fate?"

"Fate."

"But will Colonel-sensei agree to have Forte teach Saphire swordsmanship?"

"I was already planning on it." He said from behind. Needless to say they jumped in their skins and immediatly stood at attention.

"Sir, what is it sir?" Roll chanced asking.

"Class is over, privates."

Please review so I can know what I did wrong. Please. And are my characters believable?


	5. Missing

HI! I own nothing related to megaman / rockman EXE... just this story, my OCs, and the bad guys...

So without further adieu...Hajimarimas! (Start/it has begun)

Missing

The next day things seemed to take a turn for the better. Saphire got up at dawn, just like she used to... a long time ago. She even did a few of her old excersises. When Rockman woke up to see his sister awake... It would have been an understatement to say he was surprised.

"We're gonna have to get going soon, better finish up." He said from the kitchen, where he was preparing breakfast. Or was going to, but his sister had beaten him to it. For the frist time in five years. "Did you really make breakfast _and_ lunch?"

"Yeah..." Saphire called from the in-home dojo she had made for her brother last year. He had been complaining about falling behind in his training since they had moved, so she built him a special device that could turn their living room into whatever he wanted it to be. "I thought since I was up, I may as well do it. You were still asleep, sorry."

"Mhmm... And since when do you wake up before me?" He was staring at her skeptically. It seemed like he was in a genuinely good mood for once, though. He started to laugh, again for the first time in a long time. "Looks like things are starting to turn around, huh?" He managed to get out after he had calmed down a little.

"Yeah..." Saphire's smile was genuine as well. She had found herself smiling since she had met Alicia yesterday. And the night before she couldn't get rid of the feeling that she might be able to at least befreind Forte as well. She had been filled with an uncheracteristic optimism. "They certainly are..."

"Let's eat." Having recovered from whatever had bothered him yesterday, last night he had decided to make the best of the situation. _Not that this is a bad situation,_ He tried to reassure himself, _It's just that I've lost so much already..._ "Itedakimas!"

"Itedakimas!" Saphire said as well. As they ate they fell into the familiar silence. The only people in their family that had spoken during breakfast were already dead after all...Saphire mentally shook herself of that train of thought. she wanted to look to the positive for once, not the past. _Rock's right. The past is better left to the past. And those who are still alive are better of forgetting the past..._ But she couldn't quite convince herself. Some part of her knew that it was too good a morning to last.

After breakfast they left for class. When they arrived on time, which was good for Saphire, and poor for Rockman. Usually he was the first person to class, and therefore set up for the day, but today he was just barely in on time. Class was about to start. Things were already bad, though. Forte was in class, but Alicia was not, which was weird. One glance at Forte was all Saphire needed to know her frears were correct. Things were about to get complicated. Saphire was about to be called in for a mission. She just knew it.

"Forte-kun?" She walked over to him, and took a good long look at him. He was slumped in his chair, and looked so pathetic that she wanted to hug him and rock the pain away like Rockman used to do for her, but she knew this wouldn't help so she resisted the impulse and looked closer. His eyes were so hollow and tired that he _must_ have been up all night. She waved her hand in front of his eyes, so that he would pay attention to her instead of whatever was that had him so obviously worried. "What happened? Please tell me. I want to help." And she meant it.

"A-alicia is missing." Was all he said. His voice was so hoarse from calling out last night that he couldn't even speak above a whisper. "Whe went to a freind's house last night and...she..." His voice started to crack, much like Saphire's had the day before. "She never got there... She... She's the only family I've got left."

"I understand." Saphire had only one family member left as well. The only difference being that _her_ brother hated her. Sometimes she wondered if her brother would even care if she disappeared at all. Or if she had died before his very eyes. _He probably wouldn't bat an eye. No, on second thought, he would probably help them kill me._ "I'll try to help you find her. I promise."

"R-really? You actually mean that? You'll help me look for my sister?" Saphire nodded, a determined look in her eyes. Noone was going to lose their family. Not on her watch. For the first time since his sister had gone missing, Forte began to see a small glimmer of hope. _Is it possible that she could actually find her...?_

"Where have you looked so far?" Her voice had become confident. It was as though she had become a different person instantaniously. She had a reason to be brave, to be strong. And she seized the moment, shining as she stood tall for once. She was ready for this. Not even realizing the truth of the situation.

"I've searched every house and ally from our apartment to her freinds house. She wasn't anywhere. I've looked everywhere she may have gone, all her favorite places, places she felt safe at, I've even searched the homes of those she had ticked off lately. She wasn't anywhere." Saphire's confidence was infectuse. Forte was regaining some of his composure.

"Hmm... have you looked at the parks? Or by the harbor? Is there anyone she would never, _ever_ get help from? Did she have any enemies who might want revenge in this way?" Saphire was analyzing the situation like a proffesional detective. Which she was, well, a retired one, anyway.

"Parks: yes, harbor: no, someone she wouldn't get help from..." He thought for a few seconds, then: "I don't know. Roll might though, they're close freinds. And again, I don't know. We didn't talk about things like that."

"Hmm... I'll ask Roll later. Don't worry. We'll find her. I promise you, I won't rest untill we do." Saphire was already formulating a plan, but they needed volunteers. Ljuckily she knew just where to find some.

"Thanks, Saphire-san." He hadn't meant for his secret pet name to slip through, but it had. She smiled, no, she _beamed_ at him.

"You know what, Forte-kun?" She told him quietly. "You're the only person to ever call me that."

"I can't imagine why." He told her, gald she hadn't taken offense at him being so presumptuous. "It suits you perfectly. I highly doubt I'm the only one who's thought about it, even if I'm the only one to say it out loud." She simply shook her head at this, she was glad he was feeling better. Even if she hadn't gotten him to smile yet.

_All things in good time._ She thought, and proceeded to look out the window and sketch in her sketchpad like she had done yesterday, but this time she was sketching a rough map of the city with the places Forte had searched marked. She remembered what Alicia had said the day before...

_"Why don't you eat lunch with me tomorrow?" She asked as she got up to leave. "Class is almost over, see you tomorrow!"_

Looking back, Saphire realized that something had been off... Alicia had left a little too early for class to have been about to end, and she had left the actual _class _a little late. Saphire knew 'cuz she had cleanup duty in the classroom. But if that was true, could it have been...

"...on purpose?" Roll finished Saphire's sentence for her. _What? Does she think _I_ had something to do with Alicia's disappearence?_ It was lunchtime, and Saphire was following up on some of he personal thoughts. She was staring down Roll, the determined look growing more and more intense as the day went on. She was certain. "NO! She may be a bit of a prankster, but she's also considerate. She would never do this on purpose! She cares for her brother too much to do something like this! I do know of one place you might want to look, but not 'cus she'd hide there. We found some strange things there the other day. Maybe she got into some trouble while looking around real quick? Here's the address." Roll handed Saphire a peice of paper.

"I'll look into it. We _have_ to find her..." Roll, while wishing Alica wasn't missing, still was gratefull. Saphire was acting like she used too... Like a _real_ hero. And it wasn't an act. She really wouldn't stop till her new friend was found, that was just the kind of person she was... And Forte should be glad that this was the case.

"We should hurry." Forte told her, she nodded and they left the room. They went and found the teacher for today's Hero class, it was a different teacher and class every day of the week, running past hall after hall. They didn't even pay attention to where they were going. This was too urgent for caution. Too important for them to notice how instinctively well they worked together.

"TACTURN-SENSEI!" Forte began, out of breath. They had found him at the front office. He was a wimpy-looking guy in a buisness-suit. His grey hair lay limp at the sides of his face, and he had no bangs for some reason. When he saw them, he raised one eyebrow, fruther wrinkling his old face, and listened to what they had to say. "My sister is missing, I would like permission to miss Hero-class today and go look for her. Please?"

"And why should I give it?" He said. His voice was dry, but kind and patient. Saphire imeediatly liked this man. "Your sister is known for her... impishness. How do I know she won't just come in in the middle of class? Hmm? Well?"

"Because," Saphire interuppted. Her commanding voice was still quiet, but in a controlled, I'm-Holding-in-a-shout voice. "She might be in trouble."

"In trouble? What do you mean, Saphire-san?" Forte asked her. He didn't like the look on her face, because it was filled with shadows... The kind of shadows any _sane_ person hid in the deepest, darkest parts of their mind. And never looked at again.

"I mean," She turned towards the city. "That I recognize this address."

"Recognize? From where?" Forte was starting to think that accepting her help was a bad idea. A _very_ bad idea. So bad that he might never ask for or accept her help again. Ever. "Where could you have possibly seen this address before?"

"I saw it..." She was no longer looking at Forte, Tacturn-sensei, or anyone else for that matter. She was now staring into the past. "...on the description of my brother's mission. Their last mission.

"That mission...?" He asked. "The one during which they... died?" She nodded absently. Then she shook her head, yanking herself out of the past. This wasn't the time to go looking into the past, but to search in the present.

"If that is true," Tacturn-sensei interuppted. "Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to send you with some backup. I'll get them, you just move and find EXE-kun's sister. GO _NOW!_"

"HAI!" Saphire said in that same language that she rarely used. Forte actually understood it, though. She had said, "Understood!" He ran to catch up with her.

"Slow down!" He told her.

"YOU SPEED UP!" She called over her shoulder. She was running at a quarter her current top speed, and she was still outpacing him. SHe didn't dare slow down anymore, if what she thought was happening really was, then she couldn't afford to be late. Not this time, or ever again. Not if she wanted to avoid that situation again.

"Speed up she says... Doesn't she know I'm already at my top speed!" He muttered to himself, Not realizing that as he did he _was_ speading up. Signifgently. He was actually catching up to Saphire.

When they got to where the address should have been, there was nothing but rubble. Saphire noticed a purple peice of cloth and picked it up. Using her enhanced sense of smell she discovered whose it was.

"This is Alicia's..." Saphire said, thinking and sniffing at the same time. "I can tell she's nearby, but I don't know where..." She handed the peice of cloth to Forte. "It's from her skirt."

"Well, why can't I sense her power?" He asked her. "I should be able to by now."

"Not if she was out of power. And she is." Before Forte could do or say anything she put her right palm against a part of a wall that was still standing, closed her eyes, and spoke. "Spirits of the air, earth, fire, water, light, and darkness, what happened in this place?"

The answere came in a series of images entering her mind. The spirits spoke in the capacity of narrator. _There was a great battle. A ghost from your past tried to silence one of your future allies. The ally was stronger than the Ghost anticipated. She fought long and hard, and managed to drive of the Ghost... And we protected her. She is in the middle of the ruin. Go. save her. Her life force will not hold out much longer._

_I no longer posses the power to strengthen her life force._

_You do. You just don't realize it yet._

_I will do what I can for her, but I don't know how much that is._

_That you try is all we ask._

"Follow me, Forte-kun. I know where Alicia-san is." She began to walk towards the middle of the ruin, silently.

"What the heck just _happened_?" He asked her as he followed her. "You were stuck to that thing for almost half an hour!"

"Really? Felt longer than that."

"I'm not joking!"

"Neither was I."

"You mean you've done that... that... thing before?"

"Talk to the elemental spirits? Yes."

"Why?"

"Their my friends, and they help me help others." she was standing in front of the pile of rubble in which Alicia was hidden. "You'r gonna have to move the rubble, she's underneath.

"Fine..." He complied, only to find an uncounsious little sister underheath the pyramid two peices of rubble had made. "Well, that's conveinient."

"Hold on..." Saphire pulled Alicia into a sitting position, carefull of any broken bones or head injuries. "I want to try something." She pulled out a bottle of water, pured it out on Alicia's head and body, put her right hand out, palm towards the girl, and called: "HEALING WATERS!"

Alicia was covered in a light-blue energy that started at the places where the water had touched and spread to cover her whole body. The light felt kind to anyone who saw it. When it faded, Alicia stirred.

"Good, she's okay." And Saphire collapsed.

That may have been one of the longest chapters I have ever written... I hate to ask this but, did I mess up? Does this not fit into the story? Is there something I forgot? Please help me become a better writer! Please?

Thanks to Azure_Link for reviewing. Thanks to anyone who's so much as _reading_ this story. And most of all, thanks to all the people: friends, strangers, aqueintences, who were patient while I wracked my brain for the obvious theme of this chapter. Well, obvious to anyone but me.


	6. Dark Rock vs Dark Moon

HI EVERYONE! Thanks to Azure_Link for reviewing! Now, the disclaimer!

I own nothing related to Megaman/ Rockman EXE except this story, the idea for it, my OCs, the bad guys, and the explanation for the presence of Dark-whomever! YAY!

Dark Rock vs. Dark Moon

"Whare could Saphire have gone?" Rock said out of the blue. When she left to go find Alicia she had forgotten to tell her brother, not that it would have mattered. He was back in a bad mood. Secretly he had wasnted to get to show off a little to Roll, but she had done better than him in Tactics class.

"Didn't she tell you?" Roll said. They lived in the same apartment building, so they walked home together every day. Rocks hands were on the back of his head, like always. _And he always looks cute with his hands there...DOH! Not now!_ "She went with Forte to look for Alicia. I expect they've found her by now and are on their way back home now."

"Hmm... and she didn't tell me _why?_" He started to look at Roll skeptically.

"I expect they left as soon as I geve them a place to look. They probably didn't think they had time to tell you." She just ignored the way he looked at her.

"Uhuh..." Neither of them had noticed a pitch black shadow following them. It had noticed _them_ however.

_Here's an excellent candidate._ The voice was like Saphire's, but absolutely dripping with malice. _He has already been primed. With her in that state, this will be easy pickings for my new pet. Come to momma..._ And it litterally surged for Rockman, swallowing him whole in a dark, negative energy.

"Wha...?" Was all he had time to say before a change started to take him. It was almost visible. He seemed to grow a purple version of his normal armor, and his dark-blue jumpsuit turned black. His emblem turned a sickly blue color. He had become something neither of them had wanted to see ever again... He had become...

"Dark Rock?" Roll asked quietly. She was afraid to find that she was right, but of course she was. He started to laugh crazily, just like he used to. When Roll heard this, she started to run away as fast as she could. "NO!"

"Now to find the fool who dares stand before my new master." He said after shooting a few shots from his Darkbuster at the retreating girl. "Time to die, fool."

"uhh.."Saphire started to wake up, and realized she had _no_ idea where she was. At all. She opened her eyes completely, only tofind that the only thing she could see was Forte's face. He was carrying her bridal-style. And that's when it hit her. _I can heal again! YES!_ She mentally pumped her fist in celebration... and Forte finally noticed that she was awake when she tried to look around.

"Your finally awake, huh?" He asked, looking down for a few seconds.

"Forte-niisan!" Saphire heard Alicia say outside her circle of sight. Saphire couldn't move around too much however. Every time she tried her head started to spin. She looked at the sky to get a sense of time at least only to find it was already getting dark. She growned. "I know your mad at me for lying to you, but you shouldn't take it out on Saphire-chan!" She suddenly appeared hovering over Saphire, like a hyperactive angel.

"A-alicia-san." Saphire gasped. What was a mass of bruises was a perfectly healthy looking Alicia, without even one scratch to show that she had taken part in a battle at all. The only thing that showed any sign of wear was her torn and dirty clothing. "Your allright? That's wonderful news!"

"Yeah...but your the reason why, right?"

"Yes, but I didn't expect to actually be able to do anything. I could feel your life force fading, so I just wanted to at least get you breathing regularly."

"Thank you so much!" She realized how tired Saphire was about halfway through the sentence. "We better get you home soon. Right, niisan?"

"I guess." He replied, noncomittedly. He had noticed it as well and had decided that she should probably never have woken up at all, not after how much of her power had been used at once. _The fact that she's awake at all means that she has hidden reserves of power somewhere deep inside of her. Probobly hidden powers as well, so why doesn't she use these powers?_

"Found you." They heard Rock's voice, but filled with hatred alone in his voice. He jumped down from the roof of a nearby building, shooting at Forte, who had just moved out of the way right before they hit. "You will not leave this place alive, my master has decreed that it must be so. I hope you don't surrender, though. It'll be more fun that way. For me."

"Roll told me about this..." Alicia clarified, noticing the differences between him and Rockman. But that was not all, he had a dark aura around him. Not that anyone but Saphire noticed it. "... but I thought he had been defeated long ago. This person is Dark Rock. An evil version of Rockman... And supposedly dead."

"What do you mean supposedly?" Forte nearly yelled in frustration. "Did he die or not?"

"Not." Saphire said. It was barely audible. She was staring at the man in question, no fear or doubt showing. "He was sealed inside of Rockman, when we realized that his and Rock-niisan's lifeforces were intertwined. To kill one is to kill the other. He was actually as _good_ as dead."

"As good as dead?"

"Only someone as powerful as the one who sealed him away could release him. And there was only one such person in the whole world." She answered,still staring into the eyes of Dark Rock. And then she saw it, a small spark of her brother's consiousness. And it wasn't fighting the dark being inside. Having found what she was looking for, she sighed and looked away in shame.

"Death will be your fate." Dark Rock started to shoot her and Forte, but Forte dodged the shots, but he knew he couldn't fight with Saphire in his arms. And fight he would, to protect his sister. "Not bad, but not good enough I'm afraid."

"I'm going to give you one chance, Hikari Rockman..." Forte shouted as he put Saphire down in a sitting position againt the wall of a nearby building. He then summoned his Dark Arm Blades. "...give it up and leave, before I make you leave. The hard way."

"Ha! I'd like to see that." Dark Rock began to laugh like a madman would, as he always did when he was confident of victory. "You better have improved since we last fought to back that up. I'm not the same sentimental fool who held back to avoid killing you!"

"ROCK-NIISAN!" Saphire tried to get his attention. "Don't do this! You'll only regret it later!" _You know I'm the only one strong enough to do this._ A voice spoke in her mind.

"Oh, no. I really do." She flinched at his tone of voice. It was the same tone he used when he was _extremely_ angry with her, or when he was done with an elimination mission. He started to shoot at everyone in the area, making a place free of padestrians, or witnesses..Then he and Forte began to fight. Every shot that Dark Rock shot was either blocked, cut, or dodged by Forte. He was in complete controll of the battle, except that the city was being each shot. Not good, on any account. Well, eexcept Dark Rocks. The uneven footing was making it harder for Fote to manuver around the batttlefeild. He wasn't the greatest acrobat.

"NIISAN!" Saphire tried one more time to reason with her brother. "You don't have to do this! Please stop this! Before it's too late! If you're here to kill me..." That stopped the both of them in their tracks. "...then I won't stop you. I _lnow_ that it's only a matter of time until I hurt someone again. Maybe it's better this way. At least I won't have had the chance to hurt someone..." She bowed her head in shame.

"Saphire? What brought this on?" Alicia asked, she had refused to run away. Forte just stared at her open mouthed. Dark Rock smiled, in his way, and aimed his buster at her head. "There's no way that you would ever do something so... wrong as hurt someone else!"

She smiled sadly. "You don't know me, neither of you does. You don't know what lies in wait at the bottom of my soul. What it's done in the past. What it's trying to do now." Saphire was starting to give up, and the voice was seizing it's chance. _Let me. I won't hurt them, I promise. I'll just fight the Dark Rock person. Just him._ It spoke. Her answere was a strong and resunding _NO!_ that echoed in her very soul. But it lacked the conviction she had last time. And the voice picked up on that. _I promise I'll go back as soon as he's defeated!_

It' difficult to have two conversations at once, for most people anyway, but Saphire had been doing it her whole life so it didn't bother her overmuch. The Forte and his sister were a little disturbed by her sudden silence, however. Dark Rock just took the chance and fired his weapon at her followed by a cry of "DarkBustar!" and the sound of plasma shot hitting flesh.

When the smoke cleared, however, she was standing. There was a distinct difference, though. Her hair was dark-blue, and all her light blue clothes had become regular old blue and the ribbon was no longer in her hair, but rather tied in a bow around her waist and had lengthened to fall to her ankles beside the scarf. Also, she was holding a darkened and jagged sword in one hand. If one got close enough to see her eyes, they would see dark-blue irises and light-blue pupils. Which isn't even possible normally.

"Dark Moon, so you've returned." A figure on the top of a buiding said to themself. Their figure was covered in shadow, but it had a distinctly male feeling to it. Their voice was somewhat familiar, as well. One got the feeling that they had heard it somewhere before. "But will she be able to restrain you this time?"

"So your back in de shaddle ka, Darku-rockku?" She said, her once perfect modern Japanese having a slight Ancient-Japanese accent. "Well, so am I. I'm actually lookingu foruward to this fight."

"Saphire-san?" Forte said once he had taken in all of her changes in appearence. _This massive dark energy... Is that really Saphire?_

"So it's you, huh?" Dark Rock seemed calm, despite the fact that his attack had had no effect on her. "I didn't think she would let you out of your cage. How limited are you this time?"

"Ha! Like she could limit me. No, I just had to promise not to hurt the innocents your currently terrorising. Oh, and stop you."

"That sounds pretty limiting to me, Dark Moon." And they started fighting, but not before she got in one last good retort that summed up all of the reasons that Saphire had let the darker version of herself out.

"I've reformed." And she had meant it. There was no doubt in the minds of those who saw what she did next. She put away her sword, and took up a fighting stance, obvioulsy meaning to fight her opponent unarmed.

She started to appear and dissappear so fast that not even Dark Rock or Forte could keep up with her progress. She simply dodged the shots that Dark Rock managed to shoot in her direction, and when she got close to him, she kicked him into the closest building. He didn't even have a chance to stop her.

Dark Rock realized how much of a mistake he had made in undersetimating his opponent. And immediatly decided to play dirty. He used his Area Steal ability and appeared behind Alicia, holding his buster to her head like a theif would do to a hostage. He then said word that no hero ever wants to hear, or brother for that matter:

"Who's it gonna be, Dark Moon? You..." He started to charge his buster. "...or the girl? Make your choice carefully, this girl's life is in your hands."

"ALICIA!" Forte called in breif defiance. Then what Dark Rock had said registered. He knew how hard desisions like these were. "S-saphire-san...What should we do?"

"I choose..." Saphire said after a breif pause. Forte knew how hard it must be for her, but he understood. She couldn't die, not now. "...to let Alicia-san live. Take my life instead. And then you leave and never return."

"WHAT?" Forte couldn't beleive what he had heard. Saphire was actually going to sacrifice herself for _his_ sister? "Why?"

"Pleasure doing buisness with you, Dark Moon. I'm sure your little freind here appreciates the gesture."

"I'm a monster. That's why, Forte-kun. She had kept me trapped in the deepest darkest parts of her consiousness in order to keep me from killing anyone else. Something the other me blames herself for. I can't let her live on in fear and guilt any longer. Not if it's at the cost of another."

"Saphire-chan!" Alicia cried out.

"Darku-Rokku! Do it now, before I change my mind!"

"Alright! TIME TO DI-" He suddenly became nothing more than a cloud of smoke. Someone who looked a lot like an adult version of Rockman grabbed Alicia and jumped in front of Dark Moon. He was wearing similar armor to Rockman, but everything was rounded instead of streamlined. And his helmet had a dark-red jewel on it.

"Is everyone alright?" The stranger asked. "My name is X, and I'm a senior Hero. I'll take care of this Dark Rock. You just get out of here. Got it?" Forte and Alicia nodded, but Dark Moon did not.

"That's my brother." She said. He nodded. "Just don't hurt him too much, once he falls unconsious he should return to normal. If that doesn't work, I'll get what's needed to undo whatever they did to him. Okay?"

"I understand. He won't get hurt so bad that he won't be able to go to school tomorrow, is that okay with you? It's Hikari Saphire, right?"

"Yes, it is. And that should be fine. Goodby Light X-sempi." And they left.

"Goodby, Tsuki saphire-hime." He said to himself.

"What was that about?" Forte asked Dark Moon once they were far enough away to slow down and catch their breath.

"Nothing. He was the backup that Tacturn-sensei sent for, is all. It's not something that we should worry abouto. Let'su just get out of here."

"Not what I meant. You said that there was another you? What did you mean by that?" He was starting to think Saphire was crazy. "Do you have a split personality or something? 'Cuz last time I looked there was only one of you."

"That depends," She told him, stopping for their benefit. "What do you mean by 'one of you'? Body or person?"

"Both, neither, I don't know!" He started to shout in frustraition. Untill he saw her smirk. "Just answere the question already!"

"Fine. Have you ever heard of balancing forces?" Forte nodded no. "Very well, I'll explain it as best I can."

"Balancing powers were formed at the start of the universe to offset the God-like powers of the greatest hero's. These hero's were known as the Guardians. There were six of them. Their names were: Guardian Darkness, Guardian Shinobi, Guardian Heart, Guardian Knight, Guardian Light, and Guardian Moon. They each had a balancing power, but all but Guardian Moon and Guardian Light managed to merge with their balancing powers.

"Consequently their powers had reached their peak. They could no longer evolve, but Guardian Light and Moon were still able to grow. Not being strong enough to merge with their other selves was a mixed blessing. Their powers were still able to evolve, but their hearts could also be swayed. A fact I used against Guardian Moon's descendant. But I did not count on her own hidden strenght interfering. She managed to merge our life forces, and I took on her form. Now I am the balancing power of the Lunar Guardian instead of the ancient Guardian Moon.

"Now that all six ancient Guardian's have been reborn, they must also face the same evil again. Guardian Moon and Guardian Darkness had been the two most powerful of the guardians, so the ancient evil will now try to attack their descendants. The ancient powers are passed on through the bloodlines, but only those with sufficent moral strenght can actually use the powers. Usually there is only one such in each family. No such luck for the Hikari family, however."

"Netto and Rockman." Alicia said. She had calmly listened to the entire explanation.

"Indeed."

"And Dark Rock?" She asked.

"Their balancing power."

"And the other... guardians?" Forte asked.

"You, your sister, and two others in your class."

I'm rather proud of myself this time. I think this is my longest chapter yet, and I may have over done it on the fight scene, but whatever. It was the closest I had ever gotten to a decent fight scene, so of course I would do a little too much. I actually managed to come up with a clever explanation behind Dark Moon and Dark Rock. What do you guy's think? Thanks to anyone who so much as read my story! It's not over yet! And, I have Absolutely NO IDEA when it will be. SO DON'T ASK!

Sorry, I'm a little crazy! See ya next time!

signing off:

Moonlightmaiden15


	7. Swordsmanship and Rivals

I own nothing related to Megaman/ Rockman EXE... Just my OCs and the idea for this story. So please don't sue me.

I Just couldn't help myself with this part. As if things couldn't get more complicated for her, what with the new thoughts in her mind, I had to throw in a twist. YAY!

Swordsmanship and Rivals

"Forte-kun?" Saphire said as she opened her apartment door that sunday. Class went from Monday to Saturday, although classes were half as long on Saturday as usual. She had returned to normal the next day, and Forte and Alicia had thought it best not to mention the situation the day before. Things were strange enough with Rockman acting overly-kind.

"I'm here to teach you how to use a sword or something..." He had grown bored very quickly. He had tried to increase his skill at battle on uneven ground, but it hadn't worked out too well, seeing as how noone wanted to help him train. And Saphire's archery didn't help. She was too good at hitting places that hurt, but didn't injure, for him to need his usual edge.

"You're the tutor that Colonel-san sent me?" She asked. And flinched when he gave her one of his Solo-Death-Glares, that he was famous for. "Obviously, sorry."

"Yeah, well watever." He gave her a pointed stare, and she got the point. After she had moved out of the way making an inviting gesture, he walked into the small apartment. "This is where you live?" He thought that the whole building had belonged to her family, untill he had seen Colonel in the front lobby.

"Yes, is there something wrong with that?" She asked him, silently wishing she had cleaned up a little beforehand. And that she had been given some sort of warning. In her desparation her suppresed british accent started to show through.

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow at her accent but decided against asking. Forte had been examining the small room that he assumed was the main room. It had a small couch, a coffe table, a normal sized TV on the wall, and was obviously little used except as an entrenceway. It was just too clean for to be used. "What is it?"

"Umm... the training room is this way." She led him into their indoor dojo. It was basically a matted floor for martial arts, kendo, swordsmanship, and archery. Forte was starting to get the sense that she was once a _very_ famous inventor somewhere. Not that she was the kind of person who would mention it in a casual conversation. He noticed that she was blushing again, but this time he really couldn't imagine why.

"So this is the room your brother uses to train at home? I must admit, I'm a little bit jealous." He spoke, breaking the silence that had grown between them in the scant few seconds they had been in the room. "Ours is nowere near yours both in quality and quantity."

That got a small laugh out of her. He inwardly smiled, glad that he could make her laugh at all, with what he now knew she was constantly going through. She reached into her pocked and grabbed some sort of small rod. With a quiet call of "CyberKatana, Hakusho!" It sprang to life, revelaing a Japanese longsword that was made out of light-blue energy.

"I've been waking up early every day this week and doing some of my old pattern dances, and as I thought, I had nowere near my old skill." She told him, taking a stance. A perfect stance, there were no exploitable flaws that Forte could see. He noted that she had not gotten on any protective gear at all. That was somewhat disconcerting, but it was her body. She could do with it what she wanted. "...but I can do a passable impression of my old style, if you wish."

"Very well, you may as well show me what you are currently capable of." He summoned his dual swords and took his own stance, ready for her strike.

"What is it?" She asked him when she noticed him just standing there. "Hurry up and take the first move!"

"The first move is yours, isn't it?" He said impatiently. This was trying his already strained nerves.

"Mine? I never take the first move!" She told him, moving out of her stance to explain. "Why should I ever attack someone who hasn't do-"

She was cut of by Forte taking a sweeping strike at her, only to be bloked almost effortlessly by Saphire. She then sidestepped him and struck in turn, with a rather difficult side sweep that even Forte couldn't do. And not for lack of trying. She then moved back, sword loose in her right hand, waiting and daring him to strike her. She didn't even have her guard up. Although from what he had just seen, Forte guessed this was some kind of handicap for him.

"That's not the best you can do, is it?" She asked him, not realizing how degrading it was for him to be asked that. She actually sounded, _resighned_. As though Forte wasn't enough of a challenge for her.

"No, that was not..." He began to fight in earnest this time. "...all I can do."

"Oh, goody!" She was _much_ more challenged now by his sudden increase in skill. And Forte was glad to at last have an opponent with which he could test the full extent of his abiliteis. "That means I might actually learn something from you!"

"Was there ever any doubt?" He told her. "I _am_ the undefeated king of the dual swords!" Their swords began to clash, flash, and separate with increasing speed. She struck, then retreated. He kept up a constant barrage of sword strikes untill he broke through her defense, only to find her not there anymore. And to have a kick in the back as his reward for breaking through.

"Your not too bad, Forte-kun!" She called, dodgin yet again and striking out with her left foot, only to be pulled off balance by forte kun. He had learnt his lesson the last time. She decided to turn on her recording device, and did so on the next round. She continually doged, blocked, and turned aside his blows, berely breaking a sweat.

"Not too shabby yourself!" He was now watching her movements as carefully as he had noticed her watching his own. As their fight picked up in speed, he stopped thinking of this as a training matcha nd started to think of it as a duel. A freindly one, but a duel nonetheless. And a hard one, at that. "I haven't fought like this in years!"

It was at that moment that Rockman walked in to see what all the ruckus was. He realized after a few minutes that he couldn't even keep up with their movements.

"DANG!" He said to himself as he stared at them during a breif lull in the fight. They were both barely out of breath, but you could see a small sheen of sweat covering their bodies. Rockman noted this and sat down to watch. "When did Saphire get so strong?"

"I guess this will be a mutual opportunity then, Saphire-san."

"Un" She said, once more speaking Ancient-Japanese. Then, in modern she said, "It certainly looks that way to me." They then started again. Each trying a different tactic. Saphire focused on dodging Forte's attacks and he focused on backing her into a corner and forcing her to block his strikes, they both knew pretty much what the other's weaknesses were after the first round.

"You're the toughest opponent I've ever faced, but I won't lose to a woman!" He focused all his power, increasing his speed and power exponentially. He just made one mistake.

"Not to a woman, is it?" She was getting silghtly angry. Rock flinched, feeling sorry for Forte for what may have been the first time ever. He shouldn't have made that comment about women. Saphire focused her energy as well, and to much greater effects. "I'll show you just how strong a girl can be! TAKE THAT!" She began to bombard him with a series of light but precise attacks.

When Forte realized what had happened, he quickly got out of her way, reasoning that she couldn't possibly keep it up forever. Especially if he was to get in a few strikes of his own frome time to time, which he did. At this point, he would have been glad to end in a _tie_, and extremely surprised to have it end in victory.

"Wow..." Rock had gotten a bag of popcorn from somewhere and was eating it while he watched them fight. "This is good popcorn. Where'd Saphire get it? And why am I even here? Oh, right. The fight."

"Don't tell me your getting tired already?" Forte teased Saphire as he started to rain blow upon blow on her. She had slowed to the point where he had been able to back her into one of the corners in the room. She was panting, and so was he. But Forte had conserved his energy, knowing that it wasn't wise to waste it all on one small part of the battle. It never was, even if it get's you victory. What if there were other foes?

"Forte actually managed to corner her...Wow." Rock commented and then took another bite of popcorn. "I really should ask Saphire to get more of this popcorn..."

"I..." Saphire was starting to feel the toll on her body. But she knew she was better than this. Much better..."...won't give up!" She snarled and jumped out of the way, performing an acrobatic midair-twist so that she landed in front of him, only to drop to her knee.

"Saphire-san!" It suddenly hit him. _That's why she slowed down! Her foot's hurt!_ Just then he noticed how tired he was himself, "Maybe we should take a break?"

"Maybe just a short one." She looked around the room, having had the feeling of being watched since her brother had walked into the room, but he had already left. She checked the time by getting out a palm-sized device, it looked a lot like an Ipod, but could do much more. "Why don't I make us something to eat? It's about lunchtime anyway. Or do you have something you need to do?"

"This might come as a bit of a shock, but I don't actually have fifty different girls begging for my hand in marrige." He said srcastically. This got another small laugh from her. "So no, I don't have anythig planned for today, or any other day, for that matter. And seeing as I don't and Alicia is off shopping with Roll, I'd be happy to stay for lunch. If you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I would prefer to have your company. Usually I eat alone." She tried to stand, only to fall down wincing in pain from her leg. Forte immediatly came over to her and helped her limp to the kitchen.

"Just wondering, but how do plan to make lunch with a hurt leg?" He asked sarcastically, but also worried. She couldn't even stand on her own, and he could see some swelling.

"It's just a sprain, that's all." She told him in as nonchalont a voice as she could manage, she hated it when people worreid about her, even if it was well founded. She found her way to the counter and got out some basic ingredients, only to realize that she had no idea what he wanted "Well, what do you want for lunch, Forte-kun?"

"Whatever." He shrugged, looking around their kitchen. _It's as clean as the living room... I wonder how often they use it. Or is Saphire one of those people who thinks everything has to be spotless in order to use it._

"Then I guess we'll have samwitches, if you don't mind." He just shrugged again. "Unless we still have some leftover..." She trailed off as she went and looked into their fridge. Forte inwardly winced in sympathy with each step she took.

She made them samwhiches and then took a seat at the table they had kept for sentimental reasons, even though they didn't need it anymore. She gestured for Forte to do the same. As they ate, he watched her face, trying to get a sense for the minute differences that he had discovered showed her present mood. He was actually getting quite good at it.

"You know, Forte-kun." Saphire beagan. He grunted in response, having just taken a bite out of his samwitch. She interperted it as a "go on" "You know how you said no one was interested in going on a date with you? I really can't see why."

That got his attention. He swallowed the bite he had taken a little too early and started to cough. Taking a quick drink of water he collected his thoughts. "W-what do you mean by that?" He asked once he had composed himself.

"I-I...It's just..." _I'm blushing, I just know it..._ She listed his good points counting on her fingers to give them an empasis. "Well, your smart, k-kind, strong, handsome, funny, you always know just what to say to make someone feel better, and you're an all around good person. You always try to take care of your sister, you don't try to hurt anyone too bad during Hero-classes, and you always try to avoid uncomfortable topics of conversation."

"Yeah, but I'm also cruel, rude, apathetic, spiteful, and I always ignore anyone else unless I'm close to them as a freind." He started to count his bad points as well.

"You're also caring, loyal, brave, and honorable." She was fed up with him always thinking he's a bad person. "You're a great leader, and you never attack unprovoked. You're a much better person than anyone else I know...even myself."

"This is getting us nowere fast. And you're a great person." _We should probably end this conversation soon, before she starts to feel bad again._

"Niisan!" Alicia called from the door.

"Yeah, yeah. What is it." He called from the kitchen.

"Someone's here to see you!" Alicia said, and then it was followed by the sound of someone being run over.

"FORTE-SAMA!" A girl in a white dress glomped him from behind.

"W-what? GET OFF OF ME!" He pushed her down from hime. He really didn't like being touched. "Who the heck are you?"

"Oh don't tell me you've forgotten me already?" She asked him. She spoke with an American accent. "Don't you remember me? Forte-sama!"

"Humor me." He said dryly. Forte wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Now, I suggest you answere me. Before I get mad."

"Oh, Forte-sama. You wouldn't possibly even think of hitting a girl, would you?" She said coyly, green eyes fluttering in a way that suggested open flirting. "Especially not one as cute as me."

"Yes. He would." Saphire said in a curt voice. She already didn't like this girl, and she didn't even know her. "In fact he and I just spent the entire morning today fighting each other."

"Oh, I'm soo sorry. I didn't even notice you." She said, also taking an extreme disliking towards Saphire. "I guess it's easy to miss someone when they're _that_ plain."

Forte cleared his thought, _Better diffuse this situation before things get out of hand._ When the strange girl was paying attention to him again he spoke. "Your name?"

"Of course, Forte-sama." She held out her hand to Saphire, introducing herself. "My name is Plats Selena. Pleased to meet you."

"And my name is Hikari Saphire, a pleasure." She layed it on thick with her British accent, not caring that she was making it hard for the strange girl to understand her. "I _do_ hope you are aware that this is the Hikari household. I it would be absolutely _dreadful_ if you had entered uninvited."

"I suppose." The strange girl waved her off, outwardly fine with the accent. But inside she was terribly intimidated. _Dagnabit! It's a british chick! How am I supposed to compete with _that_?_ "Forte-sama? What's wrong?"

"Oh..." He started to rub the back of his head. "N-nothing. Just surprised that you're here is all."

"Well, did you really think I would leave my Forte-sama alone in this... place, with no-one to keep you company?"

"And since when is Forte-kun _yours_?" Saphire asked incrudiously. "He isn't lonely, by the way. He is my freind, and he has his sister Alicia-san to keep him company."

"He's _my_ Forte-_sama_ since I became his girlfreind before he left to return to Japan." She was starting to get on Forte and Saphire's nerves.

"G-girlfreind? Since _when?_" He said incrudiously. "I _never_ went on even _one_ date with you!"

"You have to go on a date before you can say he's your boyfreind." Alicia popped up. _If I hadn't done this, Saphire would have just left him alone. Now she has to fight for him._ "Oy, Saphire-chan! I'm rooting for you!"

"A-alicia-san!" Saphire started to blush. She knew very well to what Alicia was referring. Plats, Saphire refused to call her by her given name or give her an honorary, started to puff her cheek, having finally realized what had just happened between Saphire and Forte. "Y-you shouldn't jump to conclusions like that! What if you're wrong?"

"But I'm not." Forte just shook his head and left.

"Forte-kun, where are you going?" Saphire asked.

"FORTE-SAMA! Don't leave!" Sara called.

"I'm going home. By, Saphire-san." He walked out the door, careful not to aknowledge Selena.

"F-forte-sama..." Selena started to cry.

"See? I was right, wasn't I? Now, FIGHT!" Alicia told Saphire. _Everything's going according to plan. All that's left is to convince him to make his move!_

Did I overdo it on the battle this time? I think I did it fairly well... LOVE TRIANGLE! Thanks to Azure_Link for reviewing. Thanks to all my possible readers as well.


	8. I'm on a team with who?

I'm on a team with who?

A week went past, it was time to join a faction, club, or squad. The problem was, you had to do so on your own. They had a personality test for those that had a high enough score on the physical test, but not eveyone was glad with the results. For example, Selena was angry that she couldn't be on the same team as her beloved Forte-sama because their personalities clashed too much. For those who didn't pass the physical test they were sent to remedial classes and put in groups of medics in order to prevent as much injury.

It was after school on the day before the physical test, and Saphire was worrying that her skills wouldn't be good enough to pass the test. She was practicing like mad to prevent being left behind, but she couldn't figure out how to do a certain move that she was going to reveal the day of the test. She wanted to blow everyone away with it, but she didn't know if it was worth the risk.

"Saphire?" Rockman called. Things had gotten back to the way they were before she had transfered to Hero Academy, which was to say he pretended that everything was fine when it wasn't and she played along.

"Yeah?" She asked, out of breath trying from trying to get this one move right. She fell down and got up, trying it once again. She had to get it right just once before she fell at least figure out what she was doing wrong. "What is it, Oniisan?"

"Nothing. It's just that the school sent me an E-mail that says the test is going to be a tag team tournament that takes place all this week." He told her, watching her try yet again to do that one move. "The top tree teams are going to form a squad, and the winning team is going to be the co-captains."

"oh, thanks." She said, wondering why he would tell her when she would find out on her own as soon as she checked her e-mail. Then it hit her. "Wait... who are you going to be on a team with? Is it Roll-san?"

"Well, err..." He started to blush. _She knows me _way_ too well. Or I don't know her well enough. Either way._ He decided to assign Roll to act as a spy and tell him who she liked. He knew she liked someone, just not who it was that was unlucky enough to get her favor. "... they're gonna tell us that tomorrow. But I wanted to tell you that it's likely that they're gonna make you and Forte a team."

"F-forte-kun." She fell down when she heard this. "But we can't be in the same training room for five seconds without ending up fighting each other! Just HOW can we be a team?"

"Truth be told you're the only one in the entire school to have anywhere near his level of skill." Rockman started to inwardly feel bad for them. They had both found a mutual challenge in each other and had fought during Hero class and after school they immeidatly ran to the Hikari apartment and started to fight in the indoor dojo. There was some speculation that it was just to get away from Selena, but he knew that was just rumor. "And that means that unless they want a weak member of the team they have to either have him work with his sister or you."

"Oh." She tried the move another time. And failed, ending up falling down on her but once more. That was the fifty-sixth time that she had tried the same darn move. She got up and tried to do it for the fifty-seventh time, and went through the move step by step in her mind. Then she got frustrated when it failed yet again. She asked her brother for his opinion, feeling like it was the way it used to be for a few seconds. "What the heck is it that I'm doing wrong! It works during my image training, so why won't it work in practice?"

"The problem is that that's a tag team move. Duh." He told her, surprised that she actually asked him, considering the way he treated her. "You can't do it alone."

"T-thanks." She was grateful that he was willing to answere her question, even if she hadn't actually meant for the question to leave her brain. "Goodnight, Oniisan." 

"Night, Imouto." He said, feeling sentimental. That was just like before the incident.

They both went to bed early, Rockman had the same dream as usuall, but Saphire's dreams have a different meaning. For most it's just what's been on their minds, but for her it was the time when she met face to face with her other self, Dark Moon.

"The time is getting close." Dark Moon spoke. She was standing accross from Saphire, just a scant few feet away. It was the closest that she had ever been. They were on an island in the middle of a dark-blue lake. There was both a full moon and a new moon in the sky, and there were stars twinkling. "It's been weakening. Will you be able to handle the influx when it comes?"

"I can try." She said. They held out their palms, Saphire her right, Dark Moon her left. They both extended them, slowly moving towards each other, thats when a barrier of pale red light appeared between them, blocking their hands before they could meet. "It may not be enough, but I will try. I won't let that happen again. Ever."

"Try or not, do as you will. But know this, we are the only ones strong enough to stop them."

"I know. And when the wall that separates our power falls, we will truly be one." She smiles. Then white flashes of light. Shadows appear. An evil presence, darkness. True darkness. "But we must hurry. They are already gathering." 

"Go. Fight. The ancient power that sleeps within you waits to be freed. Find your knight in shining armor. 'cuz only he can free our true strength." Dark Moon urged her other side to leave. The shadows were deepening. Searching, looking for the light of this world. "You must go, don't let them find us here! HAIYAKU!"

"But I can't just leave you here!" She begged her other form to let her stay there and fight as well. To let her help the other girl that lay in the secret part of her mind. "Please don't fall! I need you as much as you need me! Stay strong!" The lake started to drift away from her point of view. She was drifting towards consiousness. She woke with a start. "That's the second time they have found that place..."

It was morning, and everyone was anxious to find out who their partners were going to be in the tournament that started that day. Well, almost everyone. Now that the personality quiz had been taken by everyone and they had discovered who could work with who, the school staff had decided to have the first annual Hero Academy Tournament. The teams were to be posted during the break between first and second perioud.

"I hope that I get to be on a team with the guy who wears the red armor..." Alicia was gushing over her latest crush. During training last week she had accidentaly gotten between Forte and Saphire by accident. Then someone in red had saved her, she never got his name or even a clear look at him.

"Good luck with that, it's hard to get on a team with someone who you've only met once. And even more so when you don't now his name, so don't get your hopes up too high, Alicia-san." Saphire had a small incling of who it was that had saved her, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"I agree, you don't even know what this guy looks like, so I highly doubt that they would put you onthe same team as him unless it was a complete coincidence." Forte added.

"I don't suppose you have any idea who you're gonna be working with, Forte-niisan?" She said sarcatically. She was actually very patient, but liked others to think that she was as impatient and ditzy as she looked. Which was a lot, considering the fact that she was waring a basic cheerleader outfit over her uniform. "Or do you even have a preference? 'Cuz if you did I'd think you actually managed to make a freind."

"Hmph. It's not that far fetched, is it?" He said, slightly angry. It's not like he tried to be labled as the loner of the class, that's just the kind of person he is. "And no, I don't have a clue. I just hope it's someone with passable skill.

"I agree. Although I also hope I get paire with someone who I can work well with. It would be sort of cruel to think that I had to work with someone who I could never get along with. I doubt they will make us work with someone we will absolutely hate." She said almost at random. Faren-sensei called for silence, and they all complied. They were all willing to be completely quiet today.

"Today we all have much to do at break, and I just want to say, good luck. As soon as class is over I will allow you out one at a-" The bell rang and everyone but Saphire ran out ot the room so fast that she couldn't even finish her sentence. According to the E-mail thay would also receive wod of who their opponent would be for the day, and they would be given a the rest of regular classes to figure out their attack strategy and practice. "-time."

"Thank you for another great class today, Faren-sensei." Saphire said calmly as she got up. She bowed and left the room calmly.

"Well, at least one of my students has manners." Faren-sensei said as she prepared to leave the room for her next class. She knew how important it was to these students to get into a good squad, and she knew firsthand how hard it was to keep one's composure in the presence of someone that you admire, and so she looked up to her quietest student. She had slaved over the best place to put her, and there it was just staring her in the face. "That's it! I'll just leave her there!"

"I'm with Roll-chan." Rockman said, hiding his true feelings about the situation with a mask of calmness. "Well, we do work well together. At least it's not Medi..."

"Rockman..." Roll appeared behind him with a dark aura following her and slowly spreading towards him. "Did I just hear you say the name of that hated nurse-hero? I thought I had made it clear that she was not to be so much as mentioned as long as I was in the same building as you!"

"Y-you did. I was just commenting on how glad I am that it's you I'm working with and not her." He was starting to cower in his own skin. "Please don't kill me, Roll-chan."

"Hehe..." Blues was laughing at the way they acted. He knew that Rockman was fine, at the most she would give him a slap for mentioning the chinese Medic. He checked the list looking for his name. He always wore his helmet, visor always hiding his eyes, so one couldn't actually tell if he was surprised or not. But he did ask Rockman "Isn't Alicia Forte's little sister? The girl who got between him and Saphire's fight?"

Rockman nodded and silently wondered how he even knew about it since they hadn't been noticed by anyone but Rockman, Roll, and Alicia herself. Not including the person who had gotten Alicia out of the way... "Hey, Blues? Were you the one who got Alicia out of the way of their fight?" When he nodded Rockman was surprised. To think that such a coincidence were to happen, it almost guaranteed his pridiction about Saphire and Forte.

"I'm with Forte-kun?" Saphire started to blush. And she was worried that she would only hold him back. Even though they were equals in swordsmanship, she still wasn't anywhere near as good as she used to be. And she doubted she ever would be. "B-but what if we start fighting each other instead of our opponent?"

"I wouldn't worry about that. I'll have his attention the whole time we are fighting, If we beat you I'll make my partner and I drop out of the next battle so that I can be on the same team as my beloved Forte-sama." Plats told her from behind Saphire.

"Like I would let a yankee have her way with Forte-kun. I will defeat you on my own if I have to. You will never be on the same squad as my...err...close freind Forte-kun! Got it you yank!" She said, suddenly determined to win every fight in order to avoid the barely possible situation of being on the same squad as Plats Selena.

"I happen to agree." Forte said from behind the two of them. They both jumped in their skin. "I would rather be on a squad with someone I consider a freind than someone who shouldn't even be on the same continent as me."

"FORTE-SAMA!" She tried to glomp him only to be sidestepped. "W-why won't you let me show you how I feel? M-my Forte-sama shouldn't try so hard to push me away."

"Why don't you take the hint." Alicia walked up to them after introducing herself to Blues. "He's not interested. Just leave him alone and meet your partner. He's over by the teacher's lounge." When she didn't take the hint, Alicia gave up being sudble. "Come on, it's not like there's some sort of wishing well that will make him fall in love with you just because you want him too. He's already got someone he likes. Take a hike."

"Fine." She huffed and walked out of the hall with as much grace as she could muster, blond hair standing on edge. She did leave, but not before saying on last thing. "Oh, and miss plainface. Hikari, I beleive it was. This isn't over. Not by a longshot."

"P-plain..." Saphire was in the nearest corner and acting like an emo. "She really thinks I'm plain..."

"Saphire-chan, she's just trying to make you feel bad." Alicia was trying to help her. "She's a horrible person who has to make others feel bad to feel good about herself."

"True. That's part of the reason that I never liked her. And the main reason why I never will." Forte said calmly. And as always that was exactly what was needed to be said to make her feel better. He had a real gift for it.

"R-really... So she was just being mean?" She was trying not too look desprate, but she falied. "I-I'm not really plain?"

"NO! How many times do we have to tell you that?" Alicia said exasperatedly.

"Plain is very far from the truth..." Forte was trying not to say what was on his mind.

"T-thanks Forte-kun... Alicia-san." Saphire cleared her eyes of the tears that were threatening to break free of her eyes.

"Uh...Sure. Let's just plan for our fight with her. Anywhere were we can do that without the chance of being overheard?" He asked not actually expecting her to know of anywhere.

"I know of a great place for planning things, this way!" Saphire grabbed his hand and started to run. 

"W-wha...?" He looked at her hand on his... and actually didn't mind.

"That's right, Saphire-chan. Fight!" Alicia whisperred to herself as they left.


	9. Teamwork

the start of this one, and most of it is character development on Forte. Tell me what you think of what I've done with him, and be honest, please?

I own nothing related to /Megaman NT warrior, except my OCs, the idea for this story, Forte's (unintentional) personality changes, and the plot. SO DON'T SUE ME! And check me out on Deviant Art, with the _EXACT_ same username.

Teamwork

"This place..." They were on a cliff that overlooked the city. Saphire had led him here quickly, but calmly. There was a tree behind them that looked as though it had been around for thousands of years. And it had, sort of. He could tell that just by being around it. It just radiated pure life energy. Not that anyone knew why. "Where the heck are we? Saphire-san?" She had let go of his hand and was walking over to the tree. Saphire seemed to think that an introduction was necessary for him...

"Hello, Sage." She spoke to the tree calmly, as though it was the most natural thing in the world, and not at all wierd to talk to trees as though they could hear you. She even looked at it's leaves and branches for it's reply. "How have you been? Good? That's wonderful! I know I haven't been visiting as often as I used to, but I made some new freinds. This is EXE Forte-kun. Forte-kun, this is Sage, the tree of life."

"Uhh...Hello, Sage. Nice to meet you...I guess." He was starting to think that Saphire was crazy, yet again. But he also figured that if this really was the tree of life, then it would explain why even _he_ could sense the life-energy from the tree. It would also explain why Saphire could sense life-energy when noone else in her family could.

_"Hello Forte."_ Forte nearly fell over in surprise. He had actually _heard_ the thoughts of the tree. _But that's not even possible!_ he thought, and then as though it had read his mind, the tree spoke again. _"Isn't it? You've accepted much harder things to believe than the fact that a tree can speak, haven't you? I've watched your progress with some interest._

"W-why?" He asked. Wether or not he was dreaming, he would take this in stride as always. It wasn't the first time something strange had happened to him. His sister was proof of that. "Why would I interest the tree of life? There are far more influential people in the world than I."

_"Ah, you mistake me. I did not mean to imply that I was changing things in your life, but rather that I was watching you with interest."_ He got the sense that this Sage person was actually smiling at him. _"There is none in this world with more influence on the fate of the world than you and Saphire-hime. You are the only ones who can... No, I've said too much already. Just know that as long as you work together nothing can stand in your way."_

"H-huh?" He nearly fell, but some of it's roots were holding his feet in place. _What does he mean, too much how? He hasn't said anything that makes any sense! Saphire... hime? She can't be a princess... can she?_ While he had been talking to the tree he had found that he was looking up at the tree' leaves, much like Saphire had earlier. "I don't understand... What do you mean? Is there something I need to know in that cryptic message?"

_Watch over her. She's not as strong as she seems. As long as you do that the true darkness will never find it's way to her true heart. And as long as it does not find it, the darkness will not be able to destroy her. You and only you can protect her._

"Great. So I'm supposed to protect her from this... true darkness thingy." He was trying to pretend that it was a bad thing, but was secretly glad to be able to help her and repay the favor. She had been willing to end her life to save his sister, how could he do anything less? He would fight to protect the only person to fight to break through his walls and befreind him. She was much more open with him than with anyone else, so he knew she had been making some kind of effort to do so. "Well, how the heck am I supposed to do that?" He was asking himself, but he may as well have said nothing becaouse Sage was done talking to him.

"Forte-kun?" Saphire said to him, once she was done talking with Sage. She had spoken so low that even Forte couldn't hear her, and he had the best hearing in the school. "We need to plan for our fight with Plats, right?" When he indicated that this was correct she continued. "Well, I think I've got a plan." And she told him. Then they began to practice the same move that she had had so much trouble with the night before. It was a little complicated, so Saphire had to explain it to forte before they began practicing it. This is how the time passed untill the round was about to start.

"N-no!" They were almost too late to sighn up for their match, just like the rest of her life. Saphire was late. Or, at least she thought she was. Forte just shook his head, holding in a smile. Not that Saphire noticed, she was too busy trying to get to the register before it closed. "I can't be late this time! Please no!"

"Saphire-san." He grabbed her shoulder and shook it lightly to get her attention. She looked at him, still trying to run to the sign up sheets. Forte was staring at the clock intently. "Did you misread the clock again. We have got tons of time. In fact, we have the entire lunch time to sign up for the tournament. You do realize this, right? I mean it's not like you forgot to check the clock, is it?"

"Right..." She laughed nervously, and Forte noted this. He didn't mention it after that, though. They moved up to the registration desk, which was located in the front office of the tournament building. How they got one in so little time Forte would never know, not that he was all that curious.

_Some things are better off not known if you can help it. And I think this is one of them. _Forte silently told himself.

"Forte-kun?" Saphire snapped him out of his silent musings, just as he was about to convince himself to ask how they _had_ gotten the building the two were currently in. "We need a name. They say that the name of the top duo will be the name of the squad..."

"Hmm..." Forte thought for a minute. He had to drag his thoughts from a stray strand of her hair, however. _For some reason even the smallest things about her are drawing my attention _lately. _It's getting a little annoying, but in a good way_. "How about the Guardians? Would that work?"

"Perfectly!" She beamed at him, making him even more distracted. He just couldn't stop thinking about her. And she was going through a similar situation, albeit with more success. She had had a lot of practice hiding how she really felt, but she just couldn't help herself sometimes late at night. He crept into her thoughts like a ninja, or a hero sneaking into the enemy's base. "It sums up everything that our squad would focus on, the protection of others!"

"Then I guess we'll use this name." He said._ Dang! She's just too cute to resist... I got to work on that. Badly. But how... I just can't stop thinking about her... What the heck does this mean?_ He thought similar things the whle time they were registering. It took all he had in him not to randomly spout how he felt about Saphire to some random person in line, the whole prosses took five minutes for them, but it felt like an hour to Forte.

They waited in the contestant area. Not everyone was going to take part in the tournament that day, only those with high grades in the Hero Classes. The longest round would be, in fact, the first round. And as such each match would have a time limit in the first and second rounds, but not afterword. If you had failed to defeat your opponent in the alloted time you would have to have scored sufficient points. In the event of a tie both teams would move on to the second or third round.

Saphire was reading the rule book, in particular the section on how to get a tie. In the case of their opponents being stronger she had a backup plan to get a tie untill the third round, where she would have had enough practice to be able to use some of her new powers to their advantage.

Forte was practicing his part of the new move, trying to get a feel for it, but he was being pulled to her eyes. He was actually starting to get angry with himself for not being able to concentrate properly. In fact, he found himself wishing she would at least say _something_ so that he had something else to think about, other than how soft, calm, and beautiful her blue eyes looked...

"Forte-kun," Saphire's voice broke him out of his thoughts yet again. It was almost as though she knew just when to speak to help him stay as decent as he was. For that he was grateful. "I came up with a contingency plan in case our opponents are stronger than we anticipated." The british accent had creeoed back into her voice, he could grow to love that quirk of hers. "We need to show exceptional teamwork, apparently, in order to get points. If we can do that, we may win without defeating them, or we may just end it in a tie, but either way we just need to keep it up untill the third round. Okay?"

"I understand. How exactly do we do that?" He was starting to think that she was actually a better strategist than him. "It's not like you can plan teamwork, after all. It's just not possible."

"Haven't you noticed?" She sounded surprised, and she was. "We already make a great team. We know each other's moves like they were our own, there's no better team in the world."

"True, but that doesn't exactly promote teamwork. We only know each others moves because we fought every day for the past week. That situation doesn't exactly breed teamwork." He pointed out. Forte was also trying not to stare at her, which was getting harder by the second. Then he started to realize why he couldn't perform the move as though it were his own, he just wasn't the tagteam type. "Isn't teamwork really a state of mind?"

"I do beleive you're right. I never knew you were the philosofical type, Forte-kun." She was looking at him in that way that made him want to give her a hug. Which was definitly not usual for him. At all. "But maybe we need to figure out how to get into that state of mind..." She trailed off when one of the desk people in the fornt hall of this building walked in. She bowed to Saphire and Forte in turn, then she told them that their fight was about to start.

"Very well." Saphire said calmly, but Forte could tell that she was worreid that their teamwork wouldn't be up to par. _Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. I just hope we win. Not that there's much of a doubt. I will never lose to weaklings like them._ "We shall follow you to the colluseum room. Lead the way, ma'am."

"This way please." She led them to a door that wouldn't open untill the fight actcually began. "Please wait here. There are a few inspirational plaques that I suggest you read before the fight begins, you may find them helpful." She then left the small waiting lobby.

"Well, we may as well read them." She started to wander around the room. Forte just stood there looking bored. In his mind he was trying to figure out how to win the next fight without teamwork, mainly because he didn't know how to act around his closest, and only, freind right now. _How the heck do you show teamwork? I HAVE NO CLUE!_

"Huh, Forte-kun, this one is kinda interesting." She waved him over to where she was standing. "It says "When the road get's tough, one cannot walk alone. To be truly strong is to know your own weaknesses and strengths, and to play to them. Only the best can truly work as one. Only the strongest can be a true team." And that's all it says..."

"Well that makes no sense." He was getting the feeling that this wasn't an accident. "Strength is a measure of how good you are in a fight, not how well you work together."

"Forte-kun..." She was looking at him as though she were slightly disappointed. "... this is a definition of teamwork. We know where the other is weak, all we have to do is cover up each other's weaknesses, but not in such a way as to constrict the other person's style of fighting."

"O-oh..." Forte was starting to feel really stupid now. That's when he noticed the plaque next to the one Saphire was looking at. "Huh... "The road to victory is long and hard, but when one has someone to share it with it can also be a sweat one..." What does... oh." He started to blush. _Why does one of these plaques talk about love?_

"The fight is starting, I just know it, Forte-kun." Saphire said from over her shoulder. "We have a tournament to win!"

"Right." He followed her into the colluseum, thinking to himself that it didn't really matter anyway.

"Well, Plain-faced Hikari. I guess this is where we finally fight over who shall have Forte-sama's attention." She was wearing the generic clothes of the un-emblemed.

"I see no need to fight for that which is not mine to give." Saphire answered, once again playing up the british accent of hers. "However, let this be a battle to see who is better suited to be Forte-kun's partner, since you must fight about him. I personally prefer to fight for more... important matters."

"YOU DARE TO SAY THAT FORTE-SAMA IS NOT IMPORTANT?" She was getting mad, and starting to look ugly for it. "FACE MY WRATH!"

"I never said he wasn't important, I just stated that fighting over one who can fight for himself is pointless. I prefer to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves." She put up her guard, disposing of the handicap she usually used when not fighting Forte.

"I agree." Forte said and put up his guard as well. In that moment they syncronized perfectly, not having to, or even starting to, worry about their teamwork any Serena struck, only to be blocked by Forte and kicked in the back by Saphire.

"W-wha...?" The girl tried again and again and failed every time that she tried. If she attacked Saphire Forte blocked it, and if she attacked Forte Saphire intercepted her before she had even gotten close. Her partner had dropped out when he saw who their opponents were.

"Pathetic." Forte told her as he kicked her out of his way. She was trying to hide _behind_ him. "Stand your ground, fool!"

"Why, Forte-sama?" She had become frustrated and refused to fight untill she got an answer. "Why won't you just accept my feelings for you?"

"Look. I'm _just not interested._" He said impatiently. "I'm sure some guys like your type, but I'm _not one of them_. I like girls who aren't afraid to fight for what they beleive. I like girls who won't give up, even if it's a lost cause. I like girls who _don't_ try to put others down. I like people who know when somethings wrong and try to fix it, even when it's not their problem. I like-" He was interrupted by Selena.

"That british chick, Hikari Saphire." She finished for him. Luckily Saphire was busy retying her hair-ribbon and scarf, so she didn't notice. "Right, Forte-sama?"

"Y-yeah. Your just not my type." He was blushing, but had too much dignity to deny it.

"I knew it. I'm not the one you love. I could tell the moment I saw you fighting together." When she saw his bewildered look she clarified. "Only love is strong enough to allow you to fight with such perfect teamwork. Well, with your personality anyway." Then she did something unexpected. She surrendered, and she then called to Saphire: "I won't surrender Forte-sama to you, I promise. I'm going back to America for a while, though. See you when I return!"

THANKS TO Azure_Link FOR REVIEWING AGAIN! AND THANKS TO ANYONE WHO SO MUCH AS READS THIS THING!  
So, what did you guys think?


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